MARIA ANGELES VAL DEL RIO

Dr. MARIA ANGELES VAL DEL RIO is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC). She holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from USC (2012) and has extensive experience in environmental biotechnology, particularly in wastewater treatment and resource recovery. Her research focuses on advanced biological treatment processes such as aerobic granular sludge, anammox, microalgae, and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production. She has led national research projects, including studies on UV disinfection and chemometric image analysis for granular sludge monitoring. Her work emphasizes sustainable technologies for industrial and municipal wastewater management, integrating waste valorization with environmental protection.

Education:

• PhD in Chemical Engineering, USC (2012)
• Master's and Bachelor's degrees in Chemical Engineering, USC (2006–2012)

Research Interests: Sustainable wastewater treatment, aerobic granular biomass systems, bioprocess optimization, nitrogen and phosphorus recovery, PHA production from industrial waste, and environmental biotechnology applications.

Key Projects:

• Integrated biofactory for livestock waste treatment (BIOPIGMA) (National Project, 2024)
• Unraveling the symbiosis of microalgae and bacteria in biofilms (National Project, 2023)
• Development of a biotechnological process for PHA production from fatty wastes (National Project, 2022)

Advising & Grants: Supervised multiple doctoral and master's theses, including work on aquaculture wastewater treatment and lipid-rich effluent valorization. Secured funding from the Spanish Government, Xunta de Galicia, and EU programs (e.g., NextGeneration EU).

Labs & Teams: Member of the BIOGROUP Environmental Biotechnology Research Group and the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Environmental Technologies (CRETUS). Active in collaborative projects with universities in Ireland and Portugal.